Shot In The Daylight
by NoeiiStaf
Summary: Episode Fic. Quite a bit of Densi. It's been six months since the torture and thinking it's for the best, Hetty had split up Kensi and Deeks from being partners. As the tension between them grows, the team in investigating a lieutenant's murder.
1. Chapter 1

The center was unusually busy, hundreds of people roaming around. You could hear the slight whispers of every person walking by you, trying to keep their daily lifestyle going. The taxis and cars were also on top of their work, with the horns eventually blaring every few seconds.

In a split second, just by the sound of one shot, the people were suddenly running around, followed by two other shots. Nobody dared to stay in one place, fearing for their lives. After the streets were cleared, a man looked around and saw a lot of blood stroking down another man's hand who was laying inside the driver's seat of an SUV, followed by a couple of more screams from some other passing by pedestrians.

**This serves for the first part before the theme song. It's kind of a plot that shows you what the investigation is going to be about.**


	2. Chapter 2

Even though there was obviously to sunshine inside, Kensi still wore her sunglasses as she made her way to the bullpen. She really hoped that someone will at least let her get some coffee before telling her one thing.

"Morning, Kens"

"Wow, could you be a little discreet?" Kensi groaned, taking off her glasses.

"Long night..." Sam asked.

"Yeah..." she began, glancing at Deeks. "You can say that"

"A little dressed up for work, don't you think?" Callen asked, walking towards them all with a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I haven't gotten a chance to get home"

"Where were you?"

"I was…" Kensi began saying but stopped when she noticed that Deeks was also listening. "… out. I was out"

"Hmm, interesting" Sam commented, smiling as he was typing something on his computer.

Just as Kensi was about to sit down, a loud whistle was heard from above them...

"Gentlemen, lady... you know the drill" Eric shouted.

"Guhh, five minutes... can't I get five minutes in peace?"

"You know the drill" Deeks whispered as he walked by her desk.

Kensi took in a deep breath and stood up straight, walking her way up to the OPS room.

"What do we got, Eric?" Callen asked.

"All right, traffic cams caught this earlier this morning. Lieutenant Henry Messer, 47. Three guns shots to the stomach, died on impact"

"Family...?"

"Yeah, he has a wife and two kids. The oldest, Mark Messer in currently attending Los Angeles City College. He doesn't live with them. And, he also have an eleven year old daughter, Megan"

Just as she heard the age of the daughter, Kensi closed her eyes tightly, taking in a deep breath.

"Do we have a visible sight of the killer?"

"Not really... he's being very discreet. He was wearing a baseball hat and shades. And, we have no witnesses. All anyone said was that they heard three shots, that's it"

"Okay, do we have an address?"

"Yes, sending it to you now" Nell commented.

"Wait, punch into the crowd, Eric" Callen said, as he saw something on the video which was still playing.

Eric typed something and the video zoomed in.

"You know him?" Sam asked, as he saw the little boy onto the video.

"No, but… look at his eyes. They're like widely open, like he noticed something"

"You think he saw the killer?" Kensi asked.

"Possibly… Eric, run him through that database"

After a couple of seconds, a face of the boy appeared onto the screen.

"Okay, Maxwell Ross, age 9. He lives with his single mother, he's diagnosed with OCD and he has a photographic memory" Eric said, turning around in his chair as he said the last part.

"That's recorded?" Deeks asked.

"Yep" Eric responded.

"Wow…"

"Looks like we got a witness after all" Sam said.

"Kens… you think you got this?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, of course" Kensi replied, typing back her hair

"What is that?" Callen asked.

"What...?"

"That on your neck?" Callen asked again, pointing to her neck.

"Nothing, it's nothing" Kensi replied quickly, putting her hair down again.

"Is that a hickey?" Sam asked, approaching closer.

"No, it's not... I'm just going to the- Eric, send me the address" Kensi shouted, walking out of the OPS room.

"Oh my god... it was, wasn't it?" Callen joked.

Deeks didn't say nothing, just let out a small chuckle.

"Okay, so... we'll head out to the house. Deeks, you go to the base, get some information about him"

"On it..."

"Let's roll" Sam commented.

Just as they were walking towards the exit, Hetty called for Callen and Sam and they had to go up to her office.

"You want something, Hetty?"

"Yes... I wanted to ask you about Detective Deeks"

"What about Deeks?"

"I wanted to check in to see how he was doing"

"I think he's adjusting well"

"And, what about Agent Blye?"

"I think she's good, too"

"They barely talk to each other" Sam interrupted.

"And why is that, Mr. Hanna?"

"They spent three years as partners and now, they're on their own. It'll takes time"

"I understand that. But, I split them up following the aftermath that I rather not mention again"

"We know that but... I don't think it has done them any good. They gotten used to each other. Even though Deeks used to be a pain in the ass, Kensi was comfortable" Callen responded.

"Gentleman, following the consequences of that certain mission, I don't think Mr. Deeks is ready to be partnered up with someone, and this goes to Agent Blye as well"

"You know what, it's your decision? I just want my team to be as it was before"

Hetty nodded in silence and let them get back to work. She sat down, sighing in confusion about whether or not she had made the right decision following Deeks' condition.

Along the way towards the boy's house, Kensi kept thinking about Deeks. It seemed that they haven't spoken in like forever even though they do share their fair amount of conversations about the cases but, that's as far as it went. They hadn't talked about their kiss or, Deeks' experience. It was like something had driven them completely apart.

Arriving right in front of the house, Kensi got out of the car and locked it. She walked up the driveway and knocked silently on the door. She waited a couple of seconds before there was a response...

"Hi, can I help you?" a woman asked.

"Hi… I'm Special Agent Kensi Blye, NCIS. Are you Jenna Ross?"

"Yes, what's this about?"

"Um, we have security cameras showing that you and your son were at the center this morning?"

"Yes, why…?"

"Um, I was wondering if I could ask some questions"

"Of course…"

"Not to you… to your son"

"My son… what does he have to do with this?"

"The footage shows that he might have seen something"

"I can assure you that he didn't"

"Ms. Ross, we're undergoing an investigation and I think he could help us"

"Look, my son is not in the condition to be interrogated"

"I'm only looking for some basic recognition, I'll be very thorough"

"I'm sorry but I won't allow this"

"Ms. Ross, listen…"

"No, you listen… I'm pretty sure that you have found out all about us through your somewhat database. And, you think you know everything about him but you don't"

"Ms. Ross, I-"

"You have no idea how hard this is. I have to think of everything. He wouldn't eat unless everything is in an even number, pasta, fries, beans, peas… everything. I have to arrange his books according to the exact size. I have to go around town everyday to get him to school because if we take the shorter route, the minutes would not be the same. I have to wait for him finish every sentence before I could speak because in his mind, he needs to have closure"

"Ms. Ross, I understand that you will do anything to protect your son and I'm with you 100%. But, we need his help… if he saw something; even the tiniest bit of information would be helpful"

Ms. Ross took a deep breath and glanced back to her son who was placing his crayons side by side.

"Okay…"

"Thank you"

Ms. Ross opened the door a bit for Kensi to walk in. They both walked over to Max and his mother kneeled down to him…

"Max, this lady here wants to talk to you. Can you say hi?"

"Hi…"

"Hi there Max… my name is Kensi"

"That's an odd name. Mummy, isn't that an odd name?"

"Um, I guess so…" Jenna replied, smiling.

"Max, I wanted to ask you a few questions if you won't mind"

"No, I won't mind"

"Okay, want to come and sit on the couch, sweetie?" Jenna asked sweetly.

"Not right now… I have to finish. They aren't done, I have to finish them all" he replied.

Kensi looked up to his mother and smiled. They waited for a few more minutes before his mother asked him…

"Are you done now?"

Max nodded and got up. Kensi walked before him and attempted to sit on the right side of the couch.

"That's where I sit. I always sit there. That's my spot" Max said without breathing.

"All right, I just moved then, okay?"

Max nodded and sat on the couch.

"Okay, Max… I understand that you were at the center with your mom this morning. Is that right?"

"Yes, we were. She bought me a new toy. Its brand new and it's shiny. It's very new"

"That's great, buddy. Um, did you see something afterwards?"

"I saw a lot of people running, a lot of them"

"Okay… did you see someone specific doing something?"

"I saw a man. He hurt another man"

"And what can you tell me about the man?"

"Um, you have to be specific about which one exactly" Ms. Ross interrupted when she saw her son looking up to Kensi, confused.

"Oh, sorry… about the man who was hurting the other one"

"Oh, he was tall, very tall"

"Okay, anything else that you can remember?"

"He was wearing a black jacket and had scruffy hair showing out of his hat"

"And, do you know what the color was exactly?"

"Brown… brown or yellow? I'm not sure because of the light. Mummy, why am I not sure?"

"It's okay, baby. You're confused" Ms. Ross told him. At that second, she thought he was going to ask why but surprisingly, he didn't.

"Okay, Max… anything else?"

"He has a scar on his left hip. I saw it because he placed his right hand onto the edge of the roof and his shirt slipped up. He has a tattoo on his left ankle, I skeleton... I saw it when he walked away. He ran... running so quickly away" Max explained in the exact reference.

"All right, I think that's it. Thank you so much"

"You're welcome" he replied, getting down from the couch and kneeling down to the table again. Kensi stood up as well and both she and Ms. Ross walked towards the door.

"Thank you for helping me"

"You're welcome"

"I'm sorry if I was of any inconvenience"

"It's okay… I like to keep in reserved as much as I can but, sometimes it's no use"

"I understand… I think that it's a great thing that you're doing. It can be tough"

Ms. Ross smiled and Kensi waved her goodbye as she walked away.

In the meantime, Sam and Callen had already arrived to the victim's address. They walked up the three little steps in front of the house and Callen knocked slowly. A few more seconds passed before they got a response and the door opened.

"Hi, we're with the NCIS" Callen commented, both showing of their badge"

**This is when the pictures scene comes, like a short pause.**

The three of them were sitting comfortably onto the couch.

"I still can't believe this. One minute he's out for a drive the other, I see police officers walking by"

"We're very sorry for your loss" Sam said.

Mrs. Messer nodded, breathing in deeply.

In the meantime, Deeks had already arrived to the base. He had asked around for Henry Messer's partner and it led him to David Relish.

"Wow, I can't believe this. I mean, I just saw him yesterday. He was all up and ready"

"Did he have any fall outs with anybody, maybe someone who will want him dead"

"He did get into a fight with another sergeant a few weeks ago"

"What about?"

"I don't really know but if it was Henry's fault, I wouldn't doubt it"

"And that's because?"

"Henry wasn't the patient man, he had a bit of a temper. Even if someone touches his gear, he would throw a fit"

"And, what's the name of the other sergeant's name?"

"Um, Harold Forl"

"And is he here today?"

"No, he's on leave... had been for a few days now"

"All right, Lieutenant, I guess that's it. Thank you for your time"

"You're welcome"

Deeks walks away and headed back to his car. At the moment, Callen and Sam where still over to Mrs. Messer's house...

"Mrs. Messer, did your husband ever had a disagreement with anyone?"

"Not that I know of. He was a very reserved man, was proud of who he is"

"So, you wouldn't think of anyone who would want to get back at him?"

"Not really. He did, however, get into a fight with one of the sergeants a few weeks ago but I figured that it was fine. He didn't mention it again"

"Can you give us a name?"

"Um, I think it's Sergeant Harold Forl"

Just that moment, a slight thumping came from the stairs which caught their attention. A short girl peeked a little inside the living room and ran away quickly.

"That's my daughter, Megan. She's not taking it very well"

"Um, I understand that you have another son"

"Yes, he had just got here a few days ago"

"And how was the relationship between them?"

Mrs. Messer was kind of shocked with that question, like she had something else to hide.

"Um, Mark is kind of stubborn but I wouldn't say that they couldn't get along"

"Um, I think he's at the basketball court. He likes to go over there when he's sad, it freshen up his mind"

Callen nodded and said...

"Okay, I guess that's it"

In a few seconds, both Feds were out of the house, heading to the car.

"I know that look" Sam said.

"What look...?"

"The look when you're not convinced"

"It's just a hunch"

"Well, what is it?"

"I don't know, to me it doesn't look like she's taking it as bad as it suppose to be"

"Everyone deals with grieve in his own ways"

"Maybe, but... I still want to talk to the kid"

Once they were inside the car, they also rode back to the safe house.


	3. Chapter 3

Just as Deeks walked inside the OPS room, Sam was the first one to commented...

"Took you long enough?"

"What, no exceptions?" Deeks replied, smirking.

Sam chuckled and turned towards Eric.

"Okay, so... the killer has an identified scar on his hand. He was shown walking by the car and as soon as the victim was about to get out, there goes the three shots. He kept his back towards the camera at all times" Eric commented.

"All right, that's it for the appearance. Deeks, what did you get?" Callen asked.

"I met up with his partner and clearly, he wasn't very likeable with the team"

"How's that?" Kensi asked.

"Well, he told me he had quite a temper regarding to pretty much everything"

"That's weird" Sam commented, confused.

"Why?" Eric asked.

"His wife told us just the opposite"

"So, she's got something to hide" Deeks responded.

"Could be" Kensi replied.

"All right, we still have to talk to the son"

Just that moment, Kensi's phone began to ring and as she looked at the number, she smiled and excused herself out of the room, walking passed Deeks. He looked down her steps as she made her way out, confused of what he was feeling.

"Hey... I'm still at work. Yeah, of course we're still on. I'll call you later, okay? Bye" Kensi spoke. It was someone who she just met the night before. She had actually gone out for the first time since the whole situation with Deeks and she was somewhat amazed when she actually got hit on by someone other than her partner.

As there weren't any tasks for them, Kensi and Deeks head to the bullpen while Sam and Callen headed towards the basketball, hoping to find the son.

"So, uhh... how does it feel to be alone out in the field?" Deeks asked.

Pretty much surprised that he even talked to her about something other than the case, Kensi looked up to him with a shocking expression...

"Do you feel weird not having someone behind you?"

Kensi scoffed at how much she had missed her partner's obvious flirting patterns and how he sometimes used words that were completely inappropriate just to annoy her.

"Um, yeah kind of"

"Maybe you should talk to Hetty, get you someone else"

"Oh no, I rather be alone"

Deeks smiled, taking that as a compliment towards him. He understood it as Kensi rather be shot than having someone else beside him. He took a deep breath before trying to ask her...

"Kens, I-"

Before he could finish, Kensi's phone rang once again and glancing at it, she replied...

"Sorry, I have to take this"

Deeks nodded as he watched her standing up and walking away towards the stairs. He saw how she was smiling while taking the call, biting her nails, clearly seeming more happy than usual. Deeks wasn't sure if he was feeling jealous or relieved that Kensi had possibly found someone, hinting more towards jealousy as he heard her laughed even louder.

Meanwhile, Callen and Sam were just a few more miles away from the basketball court. Callen was staring through the window, being unusually quiet...

"Hey, what's wrong with you today?" Sam asked.

"I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Callen took in a deep breath and sighed before replying...

"Sometimes I wonder the real reason why Hetty split up Kensi and Deeks. I've gotten so used to them being a team, it's just too weird now"

"Tell me about it"

"I mean, I understand that Deeks needed time and all but... I think there was something else Hetty didn't tell us"

"Something like what?"

"About them... haven't you noticed the glances lately?"

"What glances... Deeks always looked at her like that"

"Exactly... I think there's something we're just not seeing"

"All right, listen... we both agree that Kensi and Deeks should be partners. But, as long as Hetty is onto it, we can't do anything about it"

"It couldn't hurt to ask her again"

"You're gonna risk that?" Sam asked, both joking and seriously at the same time.

"I will if I have to... like I said this morning, I just want the team together as it was before"

Sam glance at him and nodded.

He parked over across the court and they both got out. From a distance, they could hear the constant bouncing of the ball. And as they drew closer, they noticed a kid possibly 6 foot 5 dunking to the basket, wearing a long grey trousers followed by a sleeveless shirt and black leather gloves.

"Nice shot" Sam shouted.

The kid turned around and grabbing the ball again, he answered...

"Thanks" in a dull voice.

"You Mark Messer?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, who's asking?"

"NCIS"

Mark looked down and up again...

"We would like to ask you a few questions about your father's death"

Mark took a deep breath and let the ball out of his hand, bouncing it's way towards the fence again.

"How was your relationship with your father?"

"Good as it will ever be, I guess" Mark responded.

"And that means...?"

"I mean, I was barely even at home"

"So, you never actually saw him?"

"I call and all but I mostly talk to my sister"

"Are you two close?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, very..."

"Your mother told us you got here a few days ago..."

"Yeah..."

"And where were you this morning?"

"I had to drive back to the campus for an assignment. I spent about three to four hours at the library"

"Anyone to verify that?"

"I guess, it was about 6:30 in the morning, there weren't many students there"

"The library opens that early?"

"Yeah, it's kind of 24/7 thing"

"All right, I think that's it. Be sure to stick around, Mark"

"Will do" Mark responded.

As Sam and Callen walked away again, there was the look upon Callen's face...

"I'm starting to get it now" Sam commented.

"So, it's not just me?"

"Nope, there's something going on with this family" Sam replied..

In the meantime, back at the OPS room, Nell let out a loud yawn that practically caught Eric's attention.

"You sound tired"

"Yeah, I barely slept last night" Nell responded.

"Oh..."

"Before you get any ideas, I was watching Titanic at two in the morning"

"Seriously...?" Eric asked, pretty much shocked.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep and Leon wanted to cuddle"

"Um... Leon?" Eric asked, curiously.

"Yeah, Leon... my dog"

"You have a dog?"

"Yeah, I just got him"

Just that moment, the phone rang and Eric was more than gladly to answer it, having to think that it was getting awkward.

"Yello?"

_"Eric, see if you can pull up the register for the library on campus where Mark Messer goes to school"_

"On it" Eric replied, hanging up.

Nell cleared her throat, clearly had listened to the conversation as she started searching for the register as well.

"So, what breed is it?"

"Yorkshire Terrier"

Eric nodded. It was shocking how his colleague can have an answer to everything so quickly, it kind of amazed him.

"To be on the same page here, why did you get a dog?"

"Because, I like them and I was lonely"

"So, you wanted to cuddle?"

"Okay, Eric... we should stop this before it gets too weird"

"It's a little too late for that"

"Yeah, I know" Nell replied, smiling.

Right downstairs, at the bullpen, Kensi and Deeks were barely acknowledging each other. Kensi was too busy looking through some paperwork while Deeks were searching something on his computer. But, even though he wouldn't talk, he still gave her a few glances from underneath without her knowing. He smiled every time when he saw how lost she was in her work and hating the awkward silence, he managed to ask...

"So, what's up with you lately?"

"Huh...?" Kensi asked, looking up, confused and shocked at the same time.

"What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean 'what do I mean'?"

"I mean, what do you mean?" Kensi asked, smiling.

"Come on, you're like glowing these days" Deeks replied, smiling. But deep inside, he really wished that it wasn't true. He wanted her to be for himself but since he screwed it up the first time, he wanted her to be happy at the same time.

"Glowing...? I don't think that's my thing"

"Oh, I know... but, you're doing it"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Kensi replied, smiling. Deep inside, she was happy that they had finally engaged into yet another conversation without actually mentioning work.

"You're hiding something" Deeks said, staring right at her.

"I'm not hiding anything"

"Oh yes, you are... look at you"

"All right, can we just drop it?" Kensi snapped, chuckling.

Just that moment, Callen and Sam walked in, having heard the last few words of their conversation...

"What's going on in here?" Callen asked, curiously.

"Nothing, uhh... did you get anything?" Kensi replied, quickly.

"We're just on our way to talk to Eric" Callen replied, still making eye contact with both of them.

"Oh, should we come?" Kensi asked, standing up from her chair.

"No, it's okay.. you two can stay here" Sam replied, smiling at both.

Kensi sat back down and smiled at Deeks, which he replied the same. As they made their way upstairs, Callen looked down to them again and chuckled...

"So, what do you think?" Sam asked, knowing exactly what his partner was thinking about.

"I don't know... looks like we're making progress. But, I'm still talking to Hetty"

They walked their way inside the OPS room and leaned against the table, notifying Eric that they wanted to know his search by just nodding.

"Okay, I looked into the library's register and Mark Messer had checked in at about 6:37am and checked out at 9:23am"

"So, he was telling the truth" Sam commented.

"Looks like it" Callen replied, sighing.

"Back to square one?"

"Yep... we need to head back to the house, see if we can find something about the mother again. But first, I need to talk to Hetty"

Sam nodded as Callen walked away, him still standing there.

"Is everything okay?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, it's just about Kensi and Deeks"

"What about them?" Nell asked.

"Callen wanted to know if they could get together again"

"Get together, like... together, together?"

"Everyday, you're getting more and more like Deeks"

"Sorry, it's just... you, didn't make yourself very clear and-"

"Yeah, yeah... keep saying that, playboy" Sam cut in.

"Okay, I'll just shut up now" Eric responded, turning around in his chair and facing his computer, leaving Sam and Nell to let out a small chuckled.

Callen walked up to Hetty's desk where he found her drinking tea, as usual. Without saying the reason he was there, Callen just slomped down to the chair and sighed.

"Something you need to say, Mr. Callen?"

"If you're willing to listen" Callen responded.

"And when was I never a good listener?"

"I guess that's true"

Hetty chuckled and smiled, taking yet another sip of her tea.

"I need to talk to you about Kensi and Deeks"

"All right... what do you have to say about them?"

"What's the real reason that you split them up?"

"Is there have to be a reason other than Mr. Deeks needing time to heal?"

"Don't you think that's done already?"

"Physically, maybe... emotionally, he has a long way to go"

Callen sighed once again and seeing that he wanted something else, Hetty leaned back to her chair and continued...

"Mr. Callen... long time before the certain events, I've noticed a lot of things around here, mainly surrounding Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks"

"Like what...?"

"I'm not spilling out anything but... I have to say that, I think they just need some time apart"

"And how long will that be?"

"I don't know. Whether they're ready or not, it's up to them. I can't make a decision for them. When I see that they're ready to be partnered p again, I will consider it"

"You will consider it...?"

"Yes... believe it or not, Mr. Callen, this is still my team and I will get to decide"

Callen nodded and before he could walk away again, Hetty said...

"Mr. Callen, what made you think that I split them up just because I wanted to?"

"I didn't say that"

"Yes, but you clearly meant it"

Callen looked down to the floor, chuckling.

"I indeed have to ask you a favor, Mr. Callen..."

"Anything..."

"When you see that there's even a fragment of chance that their partnership can be renewed, I want you to speak to me"

"That's basically why I came here"

"Care to explain..."

"Let's just say today is the first time I ever heard them engage into a conversation related to other stuff than work"

"So, you're saying they're making progress"

"Absolutely..."

"Hmm... and what do you think about this?"

"I think I rather have my old team back..."

Hetty glared at him, clearly not liking his statement...

"Your team, Mr. Callen?"

"Sorry, our team"

Hetty nodded and watched him as he made his way to the OPS room again.


	4. Chapter 4

The team had gathered once again back in the OPS room, revising their current case's situation. It was clear that they had started from scratch and they went back to that right away.

"Okay, so... we know that the victim wasn't the patient man"

"What we don't know is what he had done to get him killed"

"So, let's go back.. he has an encounter with one of his colleague but about what...?"

"That's still undiscovered"

"Okay, then let's discover it. Me and Sam will head back to the base and Deeks, you go stake out the house again. And, Kensi..."

"She can come with me..." Deeks interrupted, catching everyone's attention by his words. He looked straight to Kensi, who was practically speechless.

"Kens...?" Callen asked.

"Oh, yeah... sure"

"All right... let's go" Sam commented, as they all walked out of the OPS room together. Deeks and Kensi were in front while Sam and Callen were right behind them, glancing at each other as they smiled happily. They had hoped that something would trigger the flame in between Kensi and Deeks' partnership and the fire seemed to have started. From right above them, Hetty smiled as she saw them walking together out of the safe house. She too wanted for everything to go back to the way it was and even though she was positive that Deeks had a serious long way ahead of recovery, she was hopeful that everything will work out.

"You didn't have to do that back there" Kensi said, just as they were driving their way back to the house.

"Why not... there was practically nothing for you to do and you'd have ended at the bullpen alone"

"Good point..."

Deeks drove a few more meters in silence before hearing Kensi asking...

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course, sure"

"Um, why did you you comment on me being... glowy?"

"Glowy... is that even a word?"

"Come on, you know what I mean"

"I don't know... just an observation I guess. And, it's not too hard to notice. You practically light up every time your phone rings, you clearly have changed your hair... now if that's for work then keep it up but I know it's not"

"And how would you know that?"

"Because, I know you" Deeks replied, glancing slightly at her for a second, later getting his eyes back to the road. Kensi smiled, looking back to the window.

"Are we okay... Deeks?" Kensi whispered.

Deeks sighed slowly, turning his head the other way from her.

"I hope so..."

Kensi shrugged, looking down to her hands.

Arriving to the house, they both got out of the car and walked slowly towards it. Suddenly, as they were approaching, Kensi heard some clutter from the back and she signaled Deeks to cover her while she checks it out. Clutching the gun to her hand, Kensi walked by the side of the house, looking to every side just to make sure nobody jumps her. As she approached closer to the backyard, Kensi saw a small figure, wearing on over- sized black hoodie looking through the window and in a split second, she walked around the corner and shouted...

"Freeze"

Clearly shocked, the figure turn around and ran quickly to the other side.

"Deeks, cover the exit" Kensi shouted.

She ran quickly after him, but as soon as he got to the front yard, Deeks was fast enough to grab him from the jacket, giving him a sudden halt.

"Got him...?" Kensi asked, as she approached closer to them both.

"Yeah... he's a kid" Deeks replied, as he pulled down the hood and he could see the face more clearly. When she got a good view, Kensi looked up to Deeks in a confused look.

In the meantime, Callen and Sam had arrived back to the base.

"Excuse me, we're looking for Sergeant Harold Forl" Callen asked one of the Marines, holding out his badge.

"Yeah, he just got in. He's over with the snipers"

"All right, thanks" Sam replied, as they walked away. The base was surrounded by military jeeps and guns and tents. It served as a quick hang out for all the soldiers.

"Excuse me, are you Sergeant Harold Forl?"

"Yes sir... may I ask who's asking?"

"NCIS... we're investigating Sergeant Henry Messer's death"

"Yeah, I heard about that. What a shame"

"We have an in tell saying that you two might have had an argument a few weeks ago"

"Yes, sir"

"May we ask what was it about?"

"I don't think it's in my jurisdiction to tell you, sir"

"And why's that?"

"It was kind of personal, sir"

"Yeah, well... we're dealing with an investigation here so we have to gather every piece of information"

Harold sighed deeply before answering.

"All right, a few weeks ago... we were all suppose to be stationed back in Iran but stuff happened and it was called off. Before we all headed home, Henry was always thinking that his wife was cheating on him and I, knowing how Helen would never do that to him, I started telling him that he was imagining it and how he was making a big deal out of nothing. Then, he started shouting and we got into a fight, sort of"

"And, what made him think that his wife was cheating on him?"

"I don't know what spooked him. He always was bringing up stuff that was later proved not to be truth. We practically wouldn't listen to him anymore"

"So, he thought that his wife was cheating on him and when he heard that someone wronged him, he just flipped out"

"Exactly, sir"

"Did he have any enemies, maybe someone who would want to kill him?"

"Don't we all? But, on the other hand, Henry was kind of a difficult man to work with"

"And, why's that?"

"He was very ruthless and not the patient man"

Callen glanced at Sam and after saluting Harold, they made their way to the car again.

Back at the boat shed, Kensi and Deeks were watching the kid on the screen as he sat patiently inside the interrogating room.

"Joshua Meilek, 14... parents died three years ago. He's been living with a foster family down in Oak for the past year"

"Wow, 14... no parents. It must be tough"

"I'm so glad that Callen is not here right now"

"Yeah, me too"

"So, ready to do this?"

"Ready as I will ever be"

"Just like old times" Deeks whispered, making Kensi glance at him from underneath and smiling.

As they walked inside the room, Joshua pulled his head up and then, back down.

"All right, Joshua. Why don't you tell us why were you at the house?"

Joshua looked up once again without saying a word. He kept staring at Kensi with is big brown eyes, trying to read what she really wanted from him.

"Where are your foster parents, Joshua?"

He pulled up his shoulders and yet again, he looked down.

"Are they at work?"

Silence...

"If you don't tell us, we have sources to find out from. And if they find out, I think you might be in real trouble"

"So... they just send me back. It's not the first time" he managed to say. Kensi sighed, leaning back against the chair. She looked up to Deeks who was right behind her, hands crossed over to his chest, watching closely Joshua's reaction.

"Listen, buddy... all we want to know is why you were at the house, that's it"

"What will you do if I tell you?"

"That depends what you tell us"

Joshia sighed and moved his eyes up, not wanting to make eye contact, neither look down again.

"Do you know who lives there?"

"Yes..."

"And do you know what happened?"

"Yes..."

"Then, will you tell us what do you have to do with this?"

Joshia sighed before answering...

"Megan is my friend..."

"Okay... what else?"

"I also know her brother, Mark..."

Kensi didn't say anything, just let him finish.

"She had asked me to meet up with him yesterday, let him know about something"

"Let him know about what?"

"I can't say..."

"All right... why did she ask you to do it? Couldn't she speak with her brother herself?"

"Because she was afraid her mother would find out"

Kensi noodled, still looking straight towards him. Joshua, sniffled and leaned back to the chair, playing with the hem of his jacket.

"I think I'll like to call my parents now"

"Of course..." Kensi replied, standing up. Deeks walked behind her as they made their way out.

"So, what do you think?" Deeks asked.

"Either he's lying or, we need to talk with both Megan and her mom"

"Think she has something to do with this?"

"Yeah, I figure. Something was going on if she was afraid her mother would find out"

Deeks nodded.

In about an hour or so, Kensi and Deeks drove back to the safe house, after Joshua was picked up from the boat shed. Sam and Callen were already at the bull pen, waiting for them.

"Hey, what did you find?" Callen asked.

"Apparently, Megan had asked a certain boy named Joshua Meilak, which was lurking around the house, to deliver some kind of message to her brother"

"What message?" Sam asked.

"He wouldn't say. He just told us that Megan didn't want her mom to find out"

"So, it has to do with her mom?"

"Possibly, I don't know"

Callen sighed and leaned against his chair.

"All right... so, this all kinds of add up to the daughter. No wonder she was so freaked out this morning"

The four of them just sat in their chairs, trying to figure out something else about the motive of the murder. But, when they saw that it was getting pretty late, they all got prepared to head home.

Feeling as if everything had taken a turn to the worst, Deeks headed towards his favorite bar before he headed home. It felt like forever since he had gone over there, always thinking that if he did, he would do something he'll regret.

After ordering a beer from the bartender, Deeks scooped around the place, getting a view of every each corner. His eyes wandered off up until he thought he saw Kensi coming in through the door. He looked closer to confirm it was her and once he got a clear view, he was sure. Smiling to himself, he stood up from the chair and was about to approach to her when he saw another man sitting beside her and she him a kiss on the cheek. Watching that in front of him, Deeks stared at them a little while longer before walking out again, leaving his beer onto a table. He didn't know why he was feeling that way, possibly because in his mind, he was still seeing Kensi as the hardcore woman he has always known. He thought that she would never let her guards down that easy. Glancing back, he saw her practically melting at the touch of the man's hand on her arm. Feeling hurt, Deeks continued his way out of there.

"So, how do you know about this place?" Kensi asked.

"A buddy of mine told me about it"

"Oh, really?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"No, it's not that. It just reminds me of someone" Kensi responded. She knew that Deeks used to hang there all the time, mainly to scope around for chick but still... she was feeling a bit awkward knowing she was there with someone else other than Deeks.

"Should I be worried about that?"

"Not really... should I be worried about you?"

"Why is that?"

"Because I could see practically every woman staring at you"

"What can I say, I'm a catch"

"Wow, brag much"

"What you don't think it's true?"

"Maybe..."

"What do you say we get out of here and I'll prove it to you?" he said, starting to move closer to her.

"Um, moving a bit too fast, are we?"

"Well, how fast are you implying?" he responded, kissing her neck.

"Seriously, Phil... stop" Kensi said, pulling away again. She heard him sighing, finally realizing the reason why he wanted to meet with her. "Uh, I think I better head home. I have work tomorrow'

"What, already?"

"Yeah, I call you"

"Would you stay at least for one more drink?"

"I don't think so... bye"

Phil scoffed and replied... "Bye" in the most obnoxious voice she had ever known. Before opening up the door, Kensi looked back and saw that he had already moved on to someone else. She scowled and opened up the door viciously, almost slamming it to the wall.

From a distance, Deeks was still in his car, parked just a few meters away. He didn't know why he stayed there but when he saw Kensi walked out angry, he was glad he did. He saw her approaching her car and later, revving the engine down to the road, clearly noting that she was pissed. Deeks couldn't help but smirk, thinking that he might still have a chance after all.


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning, Kensi just walked into the bullpen and sat down to her desk without saying a word to anybody. She sighed and slammed her head to her desk. Sam and Callen, who were both working on their computers glanced at each other, confused.

"Um, morning Kens"

"Morning" she groaned.

"Something wrong?" Callen asked.

"Yeah... just, not in the mood to talk"

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Sam asked, annoyingly.

"Did you not hear a word I just said?"

"Yeah, well... to us, that's a cry for help. So, let it out"

Kensi looked at Sam and then to Callen, then back to Sam. Luckily, Deeks had walked in before she could even start. Holding his coffee as he sat down to his desk, Deeks noticed the awkward silence...

"Morning" he said, slowly.

"Hey" Sam replied, still glancing to Kensi.

"What are we talking about?"

"Oh, we're talking about-" Sam began.

"Nothing, Deeks... we're talking about nothing. Now, can we please go back to work?"

Sam chuckled as he restarted his typing again. Deeks glanced at all of them, especially to Kensi who had, by then, already slammed her head back to her desk. Sam and Callen were sniggering from underneath, sort of knowing why Kensi was in a bad mood, kind of way.

"You know I can hear you guys, right?" Kensi said, still with her head down.

"Oh, we know... we just don't want to stop" Callen responded, smiling.

"Well, if you're gonna keep laughing, then I better go someplace else before my gun comes in handy" Kensi replied, standing up and walking away.

"Wow, it must have been quite a night" Sam commented.

"Oh, trust me... I think it was" Deeks commented, not looking at them. Sam and Callen glanced over to him and when he noticed the awakward silence, Deeks looked up and said... "What?"

"Do you know something we don't?" Callen asked, staring blankly at Deeks.

"No, I'm just saying. You saw the look she gave you. It's obviously clear that she had a rough night"

"All right... spill it, beach boy"

"Okay, only Kensi calls me that and I'm not saying anything because I know nothing"

"Wow, only Kensi... really?" Sam asked, definitely wanting a more reasonable response.

Deeks chuckled, putting off the awkward moment.

"Okay, I think I'm just going to shut up now"

"Oh, no... you're gonna talk and-"

"Gentleman, I think I have found something" they heard Eric shout from above them.

Sam sighed and as the three of them stood up from the chair, he ordered...

"You're gonna tell us"

"Why, did you take my job as Mr. Snoopy?"

"No, just keeping our relationship steady"

"By knowing everything?"

"Just... tell me"

"Wow, who knew that Mr. Sam Hanna was this curious?"

Sam glared at him just as they were about to walk in the OPS room, meeting up with Kensi who was already there.

"What do you have Eric?"

"Okay, so... I practically didn't have anything to do last night and I looked up the library register, the one that Mark Messer had told you and looking through the footage of the area around, it doesn't show him walking inside"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that someone had checked in using Mark's name"

"All right, do we know who this someone is?"

"Actually, no... the footage is not that clear and whoever it was kept their head down at all time when he passed by the cameras. It obviously a man but, we just don't have ID"

"So, he knew the surroundings and where the cameras were"

"Exactly..."

"Why would Mark lie about being at the library?"

"He was someplace else just the time of the murder"

"He had something to do with it?"

"Could be... he seemed pretty distant when we talked to him last time"

"Okay, so... how are we gonna play this?"

"Kensi... you go back to the house. Gather as much information as you can about the daughter and what she knows. Deeks, would you like to..."

"Oh, yeah... sure" Deeks replied, hesitating at first but gave Kensi a smile right in the end.

"All right, me and Sam will head to the library, find out who the other guy is. Meet us at the boat shed"

"Got it..." Kensi responded, walking away with Deeks following her.

Sam and Callen looked at each other, kind of shocked.

"Okay, is it me or are they actually speaking to each other again?"

"No, it's just not you"

"Finally... but, is it just me that I think it's quite weird?"

"Trust me, it's not just you" Nell responded.

Sam and Callen chuckled before walking out.

Kensi and Deeks were on their way to the house. Not wanting to cause any pressure and seeing how he was already approaching to to, they had taken Deeks' car. Kensi was still a bit upset about the night before and knowing a bit about what happened, Deeks kept glancing at her without saying a world and without Kensi actually knowing... or so did he thought.

"You're not getting anything out of me, Deeks" Kensi whispered.

"What?"

"I see you staring at me"

"Okay, I wasn't staring. I was just... glancing"

"Yeah, well... you could stop. I'm not saying anything"

"You don't have to"

"No, that's not the reason. It's because if you happen to know than the word goes out and the whole team finds out"

"Seriously, you don't have to tell me. Believe it or not, I did change my ways of sneaking around, spying on everyone else's business"

_'You got that right'_ Kensi thought to herself. She didn't want to say it out loud, thinking in might hurt him and that she would bring up the memories from the torture although she knew exactly that they were still imprinted on his brains. It was entirely true that he had changed. And to her, it was for the worse because even though he was always irritating her and getting on her nerves, she missed the happy-go-lucky Deeks she once knew, she missed her friends cracking joke about every possible thing she says or do.

Deeks parked right across from the Messer's house and as they got out of the car. they both checked that their guns were in handy, remembering what happened on their last visit.

Kensi knocked slightly on the door, waiting patiently for a response. Deeks wasn't able to bring anything up like he always did when they were partners.

"Um, hi Mrs. Messer... we're with the NCIS"

"Oh, of course... come in"

Kensi smiled before walking inside, followed by Deeks. They looked around up until Mrs. Messer had told them to sit down onto the sofa.

"Another two agents came by yesterday. I figured more will come as well"

"Yes, we're practically all in the same team"

They kept a few seconds in silence before Kensi managed to ask...

"Mrs. Messer, would it be a burden if we could speak to your daughter?"

"Mt- my daughter... what does she have to do with this?"

"It's kind of protocol, we have to speak with all the family members available"

"Oh, um... I guess that's okay. I, uh... she's upstairs, I'll go tell her"

Kensi nodded as Mrs. Messer stood up and walked away. She and Deeks sat quietly, with their eyes roaming around. The living room was filled with pictures and frames of the whole family.

"This definitely doesn't feel right"

"Why?" Deeks asked, in a whisper.

"We're investigating an eleven year old for god's sakes"

Deeks didn't bother to say anything as Mrs. Messer and Megan were approaching them.

"Megan, these are officers... they're here to talk about daddy"

Kensi noticed the dull, blank expression onto the girl's face, remembering of herself when she was told that he father had been killed.

"Hi, Megan... my name is Kensi Blye and this is my, uhh, partners Marty Deeks"

"Hey, Megan..."

"Um, we were wondering if we could ask a few questions"

Megan gulped and nodded rapidly as she and her mother to a seat.

"Okay, do you recognize this boy?" Kensi asked, taking out her phone and showing her a picture of Joshua.

Megan didn't reply, just stared at the phone.

"Megan, honey... do you know him?"

"Um... he, uhh, he's a new kid at the community centre"

"All right... are you too close?"

"Kind of... we kind of hang out sometimes"

"What, wait... how come you never told me about him?"

"Mum, we talk just until I walk back here. He lives a couple of blocks away"

"He's a foster kid... lives with a family down in Oak" Deeks interrupted.

"Exactly... he doesn't really know anyone around here" Megan replied.

Mrs. Messer gulped and didn't say anything.

"Megan, did you speak to Joshua in the last couple of days?"

"Um, yes..." Megan hesitated to reply. Noticed how Megan glanced at her mother before answering, Kensi knew that she was getting a little uncomfortable. So, she glanced over to Deeks and speaking only with her eyes, he kind of got the memo.

"Um, Mrs. Messer... you wouldn't have any pictures of your husband's military unit, would you?"

"Yes... they're in the kitchen. If you'll follow me, I could show it to you"

Deeks nodded before standing up, Mrs. Messer hugged her daughter slightly before doing the same and the two of them dissapeared to the kitchen.

"Megan, we talked to Joshua and he told us that you wanted to send some kind of message to your brother"

Megan looked down to her hands, breathing deeply.

"I only talk to my brother on the phone"

"I kind of knew about that. Why don't you tell me what you told him?"

Megan looked up and then looked behind her, just to be sure that her mother wasn't listening.

"My, uh... my dad was kind of short tempered when he comes back from tours. He would get easily angry and flips out for the simplest stuff"

"Did your brother know about that?"

"Not really... it actually started right after he went to collage. I kept it from him because I knew he would get over- protective"

"Is that what you wanted him to know?"

"I, just couldn't take it anymore. Every night, I hear the vases and plates smashing to the ground. My mother cries in her sleep... she's barely heard but I could still hear her every night. Tucking me to sleep, I could see the fear of another day in her eyes"

Kensi nodded and inhaled slowly.

They spent a couple of more minutes at the house before heading back to the car. Driving their way back to the safe house, Kensi began to think how she can evolve the case more than it was...

"All right, so the father gets a bit out of hand and the son swoops in to take care of his sister and mother"

"Well, Mark Messer kind of fix the barely description we have of the killer"

"I'll just let Eric now and we'll go from there"

It wasn't more then five seconds before Eric picked up...

"Yello?"

"Hey, Eric... see if you can locate Mark Messer. We might need to get a hold of him"

"All right..."

"Have you heard from Callen and Sam yet?"

"No, they're still headed to the campus"

"Oh, okay... keep me posted"

As she hung up and put the phone back to her pocket.

"So, um... what did you mean before?"

"When?"

"You hesitated in there"

"About what?"

"When you said, partner"

"Well, I didn't know how to pronounce it properly. I mean, I don't really know what to call this"

"Well, it could be a temporarily partnership... if you want"

"Yeah, but it's not really our call. It's mainly Hetty's"

Deeks was about to reply but couldn't find the right words. He knew the exact reason why 'Hetty' decided to split them up as partners but he really couldn't talk to Kensi about that.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam and Callen had parked right outside the library. The dorms were actually a few blocks away and it wasn't really necessarily to go over there since they needed conformation from the library clerks. They did have another whole version of everything but just wanted to get that part out first before rushing into things.

"So, you never really told me what you talked to Hetty about" Sam asked, out of the blue.

"You know why I wanted to talk to her about"

"Yeah, but... I mean what did she say?"

"She didn't actually give a good reason for their split" Callen explained.

"What does that mean?"

"That's what we need to figure out. I know Hetty and believe it or not, she's not as good as she thinks she is about hiding stuff"

"Yeah, most of the time but... what makes you think that? And, what do you mean by we?"

"Oh, come on... don't tell me that this doesn't bother you"

"I'm not saying anything. But, I also haven't mentioned that I want a part of this. Just because I'm on your side doesn't mean I have to talk"

"Anyways... everyone, even Hetty thinks the Kensi-Deeks team as very reliable and I don't know, better. Even if it was unbeknownst to them but, we all have gotten used to the term of them being partners"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm just guessing here but... I don't think it was really Hetty's call"

"You mean... Deeks?" Sam asked, pretty much shocked.

"Could be... on the side, I don't really blame him. But, I have got to find out the real reason he wanted this"

"So, what are we going to do, ask him?"

"WE could, I mean... you have a very smooth sailing around this stuff. Try to get something out of him" Callen said, specifying when he said 'we' to show Sam that he noticed he had changed his decision about not wanting to butt in.

"I don't know about that, G"

"Oh, come on... you two have gotten close since the whole..." Callen said, not wanting to finish. Even though it was Deeks who was actually more traumatized, Sam had his fair share of cruel memories and he didn't want to bring them up. "Just, try to get him to talk and, if he doesn't say anything, we'll just let this go. But, we won't know unless you try"

"Okay, the term is, 'you won't know unless you try' as in yourself, not both..."

"And, I'm, changing it"

Sam took a deep breath and exhaled... "It's not gonna be easy. Deeks isn't one who likes to speak out"

"Well, just try. We have to find out the truth"

"Oh, now who's the curious one?"

"I'm not curious, I just want everything to go back to normal again"

Sam chuckled as they both walked up the three little steps to the entrance. Once they were inside, Sam took a quick look around, groaning.

"Reminds you of something?" Callen asked, smiling.

"It's like High School all over again. Nothing says recess than being curled up in the library, surrounded with math geeks and nerds"

"Wow, I never thought I'd live the day to hear the Sam Hanna admit that he's a nerd"

"Was... was a nerd. Well, not technically, anyways"

"Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night"

Sam shook his head and followed his partners towards the receptionist.

"Hi, how may I help you?" the clerk asked as they walked up to her. She was a middle aged women, possibly in her fifties. With the way she looked, Sam could tell that she had been stuck in there for years.

"Um, hi... we're with the NCIS department"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service... yeah, I heard about you guys. Is something wrong?"

"We wanted to check if the name Mark Messer was registered in your list yesterday morning between 6 and 8am"

"Let me check" she replied, turning back to her computer and starting typing. They waited a few other seconds before they got a response. "Mark Messer... he checked in at about 6:37 and got out at 7:44am"

"All right... would you be able to identify him if we showed you any pictures?"

"I guess so" the clerk hesitated to say.

Callen took out his phone and searched for a picture of Mark. Handing it to the clerk, she shook her head, resulting in a 'no'.

"No, that boy wasn't here. But his friend was…"

"And what's his name?"

"Steven Hiltop, he's a grad student. Um, there he is right now"

Sam and Callen both turned the way that it was pointed out and saw a young man right across from the reception desk. When he looked up and saw them staring at him, he quickly dropped the book he was holding and ran away, Sam and Callen both running behind him. The large shelves of books helped them guide their way towards the tables and then, to the stairs. Steven moved in quick motion, with Sam and Callen barely catching up to him... well, mostly Callen as Sam was only a few meters behind him while Callen was a bit too far away from them both. They both knew that running and chasing wasn't his thing so, he usually left it for Sam with him only tagging along for cover.

Steven managed to run up the stairs leading the three of them to a small storage room right above the library. It was filled with cardboard boxes, practically serving as a hide out for rats than an actual storage. Sam and Callen noticed how there weren't anymore foot thumps and how the room was in total quiet. Using sign language, Sam told Callen to split, both walking and checking behind every possible hide out that they thought that Steven could be. Hearing some slight struggling, Sam walked closer towards a huge piece of hard wood, almost covering a quarter of the wall, Peaking behind, he saw Steven panting and breathing heavily.

"Freeze..."

"I swear, I don't know anything" Steven shouted, surrendering.

Once Callen had joined them both, Sam cuffed Steven and they all headed back downstairs, walking through the library yet again. Steven could feel the blank eyes watching him closely as he was being walked away by two cops. He noticed the stares, wanting anything else than to be at the place, at that time.

Heading back to the boat shed, Sam and Callen were joined by Kensi and Deeks, clearly hoping for good news.

You got something?" Deeks asked, the second he just saw them.

"Yeah, Steven Hiltop, aged 23. He is shown to be friends with Mark Messer. He was the one who registered in his name"

"Did he say anything yet?" Kensi asked.

"No, not yet... we're just about to go in. What did you find about the wife?"

"Apparently, she hasn't been the luckiest wife around. The victim used to beat the wife and, possibly, his daughter too"

"And what are we thinking?"

"From what Megan told me, Mark was a bit over- protective of her. He might have taken matters in his own hands"

"And took care of his father"

Kensi nodded as the whole team took a deep breath.

"Let's see what we can get out of this guy and we'll move from there"

"Let's do it... oh, and Deeks..." Sam began saying.

"Yeah...?" Deeks responded.

"Remind me to talk to you about something later, okay?"Sam continued.

"All right"

Sam nodded and followed Callen inside the room. Steven was quietly sitting down on the chair, head down and not clearly not saying a word. Callen threw the folder onto the table, costing a slight drift towards Steven who was by then a bit startled by their upcoming. As Callen sat down across from Steven and Sam just leaned against the wall behind him, Callen managed to ask...

"Al right, Steven... what can you tell us?"

"I don't have anything to say"

"Really... well, why don't you start by telling us why did you run?"

"I don't really like cops"

"Well, we're not the cops. I think you might have heard us shouting that when we were chasing you"

Steven didn't respond and Callen took a deep breath.

"Would you like to explain why did you register under the name of your friend?"

"I'm not saying anything until I get a lawyer"

"All right, I guess that's fair. But, just for you to know... wanting a lawyer means you got something to hide"

Just as Callen and Sam were about to head out, Steven quickly shook his head and told them...

"Okay, okay... fine, I'll tell you"

The partners glanced at each other before walking back to the table.

"All right, buddy... start talking"

"All right, Mark had asked me to look into the military base, searching for when his father was getting back"

"And why would he ask you?"

"We've been best friends since middle school. Plus, I'm pretty good with computer hacking and that stuff"

"Al right, you really are not helping your case right now"

"I've never done anything illegal. It's mostly school stuff"

"Noted... what else?"

Steven sighed and leaned back to the chair.

"He asked me if I was doing anything on the 6th and told me to just go to the library and check in under his name. When I asked him what for, he just said that he wanted to take care of something"

"Did you find out what it was?"

"Look, all I know is that he drove back home about a day later and I haven't heard anything from him ever since"

"So, you don't know where he is now?"

"No... he hasn't called or text or anything"

Callen stared at him, reading his face expression very carefully...

"You know that if you're lying, we'll find out"

Steven kept quiet as he looked up to him. He didn't have to say a word just to show Callen he understood his statement. Sam and Callen headed out the door, leaving him alone. Kensi and Deeks were listening carefully to the conversation from outside, trying to patch things up themselves.

"All right, we need to find his son. It's clear that he had got to do with all of this"

"Do we know where he is?"

"I'll have Eric track his phone. You guys just head to the court, see if he's still there. Meet us at the house in about an hour"

"Got it..." Kensi replied as she walked away, followed by Deeks.

As they saw their partners walking away, Sam commented...

"No hesitation there"

"All right, we can't keep commenting on every step they take. It's getting weird" Callen pointed out.

"Just pointing things out. You're the one who talked about getting the dynamic duo back together"

"No, the dynamic duo are Eric and Nell"

"So, what are we gonna call these two?"

"We'll think of something. By the way, what are you planning on saying to Deeks?"

"I seriously have no idea... but, we got to get over this as quick as we can"

"Tell me about it. It's time to... you know what? I'm not even gonna say it"

"You were gonna comment, weren't you?"

"I didn't finish, could have said something else"

"But, it's still about them so... you're still talking about it"

"Okay, we need to agree that we'll drop this"

"All right... so, talking to Deeks is out of the blue, too?"

"Oh, no... you're speaking to him"

"Wow, I really thought that would work"

Callen chuckled.

Kensi and Deeks had just took a long look around the basketball court, just to make sure if they were missing something and the obvious answer was that there was nobody there. And so, Kensi made sure to have Sam and Callen know about their 'discovery'... or more precisely, their 'non- discovery'.

"Hey, Callen... he's not here. Think we better go to the house?"

"No, I'll ask Eric if he found something. You guys get back here"

Kensi nodded and informed Deeks that they need to head back.

Once back in the OPS room, the question on everyone's mind was finally asked...

"Eric, where is he?"

"Still no signal..."

"What... how can that be?" Kensi asked.

"I think he's trying to mess with us. About thirty minutes ago, he was here... then, the signal was out. Five minutes later it came back on and he was here" Eric explained, using his index finger to point out the directions.

"And now...?" Callen asked.

"Still waiting..." Eric admitted.

Callen sighed as he leaned against he table. He stared briefly at the big screen before...

"All right, we'll head back downstairs. Eric, let us know when you get a location"

"You got it" Eric replied, sitting back to his chair and later joined by Nell. Once the OPS room was cleared, Nell still took one last glance around before whispering...

"Wow, this is getting too weird"

"What?" Eric asked.

"This... with Kensi and the guys"

"You mean since the whole...?" Eric asked once again, not bothering to finish.

"Yep... you could still feel the tension around"

"They just need some time to adjust, they'll come around"

"I hope so..."

Eric glanced at her and chuckled when he looked back to his screen. Nell noticed and asked...

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing... um, out of curiosity, did you talk to Callen about this?"

"Why would I talk to Callen?"

"Because, apparently, he is thinking the same thing"

"And how do you know this?"

"Well, I... um, I-uh..."

"You snooped on them?"

"Not technically... just when I thought they were talking about something that actually made sense"

"Wow, it's like I don't even know you anymore"

Eric stared at her for a second before turning away, a bit embarrassed by the reveal of his actions. Nell looked at him from underneath and smiled...

"You never looked into my conversation, have you?"

"Yours... no, obviously not. No, not in a million years"

"Good..."

"Not making that mistake, trust me" he whispered, barely even wanting to be heard. But, Nell heard him and sniggered slightly at his comment before they both got back to work.

In the bullpen, Kensi and Callen were getting some coffee while Deeks and Sam were sitting at their desk. Seeing that it was his chance to talk to him, Sam cleared his throat before saying...

"Hey, Deeks... can I talk to you for a minute?"

Deeks nodded as he heard him, closing his laptop. They both walked out of the bullpen and walked away just as soon as Kensi and Callen got back to their desks.

"What's that all about?" Kensi asked, seeing how her partner and colleague 'mysteriously' walked away.

"Don't know..." Callen replied, smiling... hinting that he knew very well about what was happening. Kensi didn't bother to glance at him to notice how Callen kept staring at the two agents talking.


	7. Chapter 7

They were just about two to three meters away from the others, wanting to make sure that they weren't heard, especially by Kensi. Sam had some bits and pieces of 'speech' mentally prepared already from before but, at that moment, seeing Deeks right in front of him, those words had drifted away and spoke from his own heart.

"How you been?" Sam asked first. He wanted to begin with the 'easy' ones... not that any of the situation was easy but at least, he thought he'll get just a bit out of him if he wouldn't interrogate him.

Deeks didn't know how to respond to that question. His head was filled with unresolved answers that even himself didn't know the meaning of. And he has been asking that question to himself since the day he got rescued... how was he?

"Um, do you really want to ask that?" Deeks managed to say. With the tone of his voice, Sam knew the answer already but decided to put it aside, wanting to know more.

"I was hoping for an honest answer"

Sam stared at Deeks for a few seconds as he threw his head down, looking to the ground.

"I, I don't know man..." Deeks whispered, shaking his head.

Sam sighed, glancing away for a second.

"I sense a lot of confusion"

"You got that right" Deeks scoffed.

"Does it have to do with the..."

"With everything... it has to do with everything. This job, the... torture. I can't seem to think straight anymore. Sometimes I really judge my decision of coming back here, maybe I'm not ready"

"Is that why you told Hetty to split you guys up?"

Deeks looked up to him and stammered...

"How did you know about that?"

"Callen caught my attention about it. Hetty is everything but, she has a heart and when she sees something she likes, she won't let it end"

Deeks stayed quiet, not knowing what to say next. He always thought that Sam would be the person that would catch up to him but, just not at that.

"Can I ask why?" Sam glanced over to Kensi and sighed. Sam noticed how he looked and knowing exactly who was right a few steps away from them, he sighed too.

"I- I don't even know, man. It's just... too confusing, like you said. It's like living in a nightmare that I can't seem to wake up from"

"Look, Deeks... we may not know whatever it was that happened to you, all right? And, frankly, I think we better off not knowing. But, that doesn't mean that the partnership with you and Kensi had to end"

"It's not that easy, Sam. My head is still not thinking straight as I was before"

"That's because it's only settled on one thing. You need to open your mind, refresh it with the present not the past. And being alone out in the field is not a way either"

"I rather be alone and leave her safe than getting her in harm's way" Deeks snapped.

Sam sighed, knowing exactly what he meant. Over the years, he saw their partnership evolving into something more. And, at that moment, he was sure he was right before.

"I get it. I just hope that, for whatever the reason you decided that, just let her know. Whatever you did, whatever you do, whatever you decide…try to keep an open mind about everything. It won't be easy but, we'll be right here for you, through every step of the way"

Deeks smiled and nodded. Giving a slight pat on Deeks' back, Sam walked away, leaving Deeks alone with his thoughts. He watched as Sam joined the others, slightly glancing over to Callen, giving him a nod. Right that moment, he was sure Callen had something to do with the 'speech'. He heard the faded laughter of Kensi as Callen commented something about Sam, trying to hide away the awkward silence.

Shaking his head, he placed his thoughts aside as he walked over to the bullpen again.

"Hey, Deeks... do you think Sam needs to upgrade?" Callen asked.

"That depends on what... there's quite a long list"

"Wow, really... so, this all turns on me now?" Sam asked, joking.

"Well, it's the truth. In my opinion, the wardrobe sequence, should... literally, have a total makeover" Deeks explain, motioning his hand to verify his statement, making it more clear.

By that comment, Kensi let out a loud laugh, practically making everyone jump by her shriek.

"What was that?" Sam asked, shocked.

"What...?"

"That laugh... what was that about?"

"What's wrong with my laugh?" Kensi asked, surprised.

"It was a shriek, not a laugh" Callen interrupted.

"Whatever... is this really how it goes? First teasing Sam then it turns to me?" Kensi asked.

"Precisely..." Callen replied.

Kensi shook her head, chuckling slightly.

"Did we track down the wife again? Maybe Mark went over there" Deeks advised.

"Good idea... if he had something to do with this, the best thing is to go to his mother to cover his own tracks" Callen said.

"All right, let's head over there, then" Sam said, standing up from his chair.

Just that moment, Eric and Nell walked up above them and announced...

"Guys, Mark's phone is traced by the river"

"So, that's where he is" Kensi pointed out, unsure of herself if she asked or just said.

"Not really... I looked into the traffic cameras near by and it showed him driving by a few minutes ago" Eric replied.

"He dumped it and drove away?" Sam asked.

"Pretty much... I'm keeping an eye on his car"

"All right, new plan... we'll head back to the house, stake out"

"Okay, let's go"

"Eric, if something moves, let us know" Callen ordered.

"You got it" Eric replied, walking away with Nell shortly after.

The team headed to their car and in just a few minutes, they were both parked near by the house, separated by five or six other cars in between. Seeing how everything was quiet, Deeks kept glancing Kensi's way, trying to figure out how he was going to bring up the subject. Sam's words were literally stuck in his head and in at that point, he knew that it was about time to tell Kensi the truth.

"You really have to stop doing that" Kensi said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Doing what?" Deeks asked, scoffing.

"The glances... it's creepy"

"Sorry..."

"Seriously, Deeks... is something wrong with you?"

"No, nothing"

Kensi stared at her partner who had just allegedly looked out the window. She knew that there was something he wanted to say but, wasn't actually sure how she was going to make him say it. It has been too long since they were working together and at that moment, it felt like they were back to their old life, having eachother's backs through thick and thin. Kensi understood that it would never get to be the same since the torture and so, she really needed him to say what's on his mind so they could get past it.

"All right, Deeks... if you want to say something just say it, all right? This is getting far too weird"

"What is?"

"THIS... we're finally on the right track and you're just too... quiet"

Deeks looked at her as she looked out the window for a split second.

"Look, whatever you got going on, I just want to be there for you. Even though we're not technically partners anymore, that doesn't mean we can't talk or just-"

"It doesn't have anything to do with me not wanting to talk"

"Then, what is it about?"

"It's... not that easy to explain" Deeks admitted.

Kensi stared at him as he shook his head from side to side. She was confused by his mixed signals, wanting to get inside that little head of his and figure out things herself.

"I, uh... I was the one who told Hetty to split us up"

"What?" Kensi asked, her expression looking really serious.

"I just wanted some space, I think... clear my head"

Kensi stayed quiet, both surprised and shocked, mixed with sadness and disappointed, at the same time.

"Look, please don't take it personally, okay? This has absolutely nothing to do with you or the fact that we..." Deeks told her, not wanting to bring up the 'kiss' again. He could see the hurt in her eyes as she kept staring at him. She moved her head to the left, sighing slowly. "I didn't think I was capable enough to look out for you so, I thought it was better if I was alone so I wouldn't have to worry"

Kensi was still staring at him before she looked away, chuckling slightly.

"So, you thought it was better to leave me alone then being there and not being able to protect me?"

Deeks looked at her with the desperate look in his eyes. Kensi had, by then, looked up once again, staring blankly at him.

"Kens, I-"

"Guys, look out... car pulling up" Callen interrupted.

Kensi looked through the window and confirmed.

"Yeah, yeah... we see it" Kensi replied, her voice practically breaking.

"All right, keep steady" Callen.

Deeks wasn't too focused at the moment but had no choice but to keep his mind intact. The two partners looked out the window and watched as the car just stayed there. Kensi tried to take a good glance at the person who was inside but, it was for no use. Whoever it was, he wore a dark colored sweater, with a hoodie that covered half his face.

"Eric, sending you some photos. Run the plates" Callen

"You got it... hey guys? Mark was spotted heading towards the intersect. I think he was getting to the house"

"Then, see him. Kensi, Deeks.. get ready"

"All right..." Kensi managed to speak out. She was still a bit angry at Deeks for not telling her before but, at the moment, there was work to be done and she couldn't just put it aside.

With the four agents watching, all of them could see as the house door opened and Megan stepped out. She didn't look confused or even, frighten as the car door opened. In fact, she just got in voluntarily, not thinking otherwise.

"Um, do you guys see this?"

"Yes, it's her brother" Sam commented.

"We follow him..."

"We might as well call for back up. Eric, contact LAPD, tell them we're in pursuit" Callen yelled as Sam had started the car.

Kensi hesitated as she did the same, knowing that Deeks was with her. She wasn't sure of what she was feeling. All she knew was that it really had her mind going off like crazy with stupid questions that she wanted desperately to ask him... most of them beginning with 'WHY'...

The two cars pursuit after the car, driving slowly and trying keeping a safe distance. His speeding was not that essensive, making it easier for the agents to keep track.

The car made a sudden halt at a side street and went through it. The road led back to the river where Mark had threw his cell-phone. Not wanting to make it obvious, they parked the cars on the outside and went on foot.

"All right, keep your eyes open... back up is on their way"

"Do you think he's armed?" Kensi asked.

"We can't be too sure... Deeks, Kensi you take the perimeter. Me and Sam will take the back. Keep an eyes on Megan"

"Okay... let's go" Kensi said, glancing at Deeks. Her tone was a bit cold but, Deeks tried to let it slide as he knew the reason why she was acting that way and didn't want to bring it up in front of their colleagues.

The four agents moved in sync towards the river, keeping an existing contact in every corner. Kensi's eyes were just pinned forward, searching for Megan mostly. In a way, she understood what she was feeling, loosing her dad, as she also lost hers. It wasn't easy getting back from that.

Approaching closer to the river, the visual image of Mark and Megan was clear. Kensi could see the two siblings looking over to the edge of the shore where the sun was slowly going down. Deeks was just a few steps behind her, who, unlike her, he was looking from side to side, just in case there was someone else ready to jump them.

"Mark?" Kensi said, which caught both their attention.

Mark didn't appear to be running away. Instead, he just turned around and faced Kensi and her gun pointed straight towards him. Megan was too shocked to even utter another word. Deeks had by then got to Kensi and so, they were two guns pointed. He could also hear Sam and Callen in the background.

"Please, don't take him away" Megan managed to say, stepping a foot forward.

Kensi saw the pleading look on Megan's face so she lowered her gun and placed it back into the holster. Deeks glanced at her, kind of asking what was she doing. Kensi had her hands free and took about three or four steps ahead, closer to the siblings.

"Kensi..." Deeks whispered.

She didn't take note of that. It was mostly because she knew that pointing a gun to an eleven year old wasn't gonna help anything but also, she didn't want to listen to him, just because of what he said.

"It's all right, Megan..." Mark told his sister, holding her back. Kensi could see a tear or two stroking down her cheeks.

They all could hear the faded sirens approaching closer to their location. Mark took a deep breath as he hugged his sister lightly. Megan threw her hands around his waist, holding him firmly as she sniffled her cries. In about five more minutes, there were about three police cars surrounding them. The four agents had longed downed their weapons and asked the officers to keep away for a few minutes, knowing that Mrs. Messer was also contacted and informed of what was happening. As she stepped out of the car, Mrs. Messer saw her daughter staring blankly at the officers that surrounded them, looking scared. She walked closer to her kids and looked straight into her son's eyes. She could feel her eyes tear up, knowing what was going to happen.

"I'm sorry, mum... I just wanted to protect you" Mark said as he saw his mother moving closer to him.

Mrs. Messer took a glance at her daughter and then back to her son. She knew that she had raised him right and how he was always the ideal son. Even though she wasn't on board with what he had done, deep inside, she knew she couldn't hate him. And so, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, letting out a small cry. Mark wrapped his arms around her waist and sighed deeply. He didn't want to cry, fully aware of his actions. Megan still couldn't process the fact that her brother was being taken away. And as soon as her mother let Mark go, it was her turn to return the 'last hug'. Mark held his sister tightly, hearing her muffled cries.

Megan and her mom were stepped away as the police handcuffed him. Mark gave Megan one slight smile, making sure he would see her response but, she didn't show any facial expression that showed him she was okay. Her eyes were still red and he could see her small hands shaking. As he was dragged away from them, he passed by Callen and making a sudden halt, he whispered...

"I just needed a little more time" to Callen, signalling the reason that he was nowhere to be found at first. Callen nodded and Mark smiled before he was put back inside the car.

Mrs. Messer and her daughter walked closer to Kensi who was still staring at them.

"Mark is a good son. All he wanted was for us to be safe"

Kensi pursed her lips together and nodded. Glancing at Megan, Kensi saw how she was cuddled close under the arms of her mother. She looked up to the agent with the eyes of an angel and without saying a word they both just walked away from her.


	8. Chapter 8

The four of them just entered the bull pen, sighing. They stomped themselves to their chairs, not knowing what to say. It was never easy watching someone be taken away from their family. Even though their job actually meant for them to be fully focused on the facts and not their emotions, it still wasn't easy accepting it.

"Well that was one hell of a day" Sam commented, revealing the awkward silence.

"You got that right"

"The crazy thing is, that he didn't even try to deny it" Kensi replied.

"He was looking out for his family. That's a reason to top it all off" Callen responded.

They all were still staring blankly at every corner of the room before Hetty walked up to them.

"Nice work, ladies and gentleman"

"Thank you, Hetty..."

"It's been a long day... you all should head home"

The agents nodded and stood up from their chairs. Gathering their belongings, they tried to think of something to say.

"So, Sam... about that make over?" Deeks said, thinking it may get rid of their frowns.

The others couldn't help but chuckle as they saw Sam hanging his head up and sighing.

"Oh, come on... there's a lot of styles that can compliment, all of that" Deeks continued, again with the motioning finger.

That was the last straw as Callen couldn't hold in the loud laugh, making Kensi laugh as well.

"Okay, this is so not fair. I have my own sense of style and no one is gonna change that" Sam commented, as he walked away with his bag hanging from shoulders. He was followed by Deeks and they both were out of the bull pen.

"Oh, come on partner.. lighten up" Callen told him, as he walked up from behind.

Kensi smiled as she finished zipping up her bag. She knew that Deeks hung back as the others walked away. And she really didn't want to talk about anything at the moment.

"Kens..." Deeks whispered as she stepped out of the bull pen as well. From the look in her eyes, he knew that she wasn't in the mood to bring it up but he had to tell her. "Look, I-"

"Deeks, it's fine... let's just leave it at that" Kensi snapped, brushing him off as she walked away. Deeks stared at her as she walked away. She could feel his eyes watching her every moved as she approached closer to the door and walked out. Letting out a long breath, Deeks was about to walk as he heard Hetty saying...

"Mr. Deeks..." from right above him. She motioned him to walk upstairs to her office and walked away.

He walked his way upstairs once again, with million thoughts running loosely in his head, practically making him go crazy. The last thing that he ever wanted to do was hurt her and at that moment, it was probably the only thing he had done. During those couple of weeks that he had spent locked up inside his own home, he tried desperately to search for reasons and answers to his unresolved question but they were still unknown. He wasn't even sure of where his relationship with Kensi was or even if it's still existing.

"Sit down, Mr. Deeks" Hetty said, interrupting his thoughts as she saw him approaching her office.

Without any argument, Deeks just walked over to the chair and stomped himself down, sighing as he did so. Watching him closely, Hetty read his expression, confusion mixed with fear.

"I understand that you might have talked to someone about your decision, Mr. Deeks"

Deeks kept quiet, giving an obvious response. Hetty looked down to her hands and then looked back up to him.

"I think I have fairly approved of your choice, Mr. Deeks. Following the certain aftermath, I believe that you could have wanted some time to yourself"

"Yeah, that didn't pay off really good"

'And what makes you say that?"

Deeks sighed before explaining... "I'm just saying that, whatever I've decided might not have been the best after all"

"So, you mean about your partnership with Kensi?"

"Exactly..." Deeks replied with a whisper.

"Hmm, I'm thought you had a pretty good reason for that, Mr. Deeks" Hetty told him, making him more and more unsure of his choices.

"I thought I did, now I'm not so sure"

"And why is that?"

"Because... because everything seems to be, so complicated now"

"Are you referring to your relationship with Kensi? Your working relationship, that is..."

"I, I don't know. All I know is that I wish that everything would just go to the way it is"

"Well, that's up to you, Mr. Deeks. If you're willing to let your past go, there is a visible chance for your life to turn back to normal. There's no question there.

Deeks stared at his boss, refreshing his mind with her words.

"Every time I say it's time to let go, every image, every sound... it all just comes flooding back in my head and I can't seem to forget about that, even though I really want to"

"What we want doesn't happen with words, Mr. Deeks... in comes with actions. And if we really want something to happen, we just have to work for it and it will"

Deeks looked down to his hands and sighed...

"I just want to close my eyes and let it come to me. I'd like to just be grateful that I'm still here but, every time, it never feels like that"

"Then, what does it feels like?"

"Like... like I'm being trapped inside a memory that I can't get out of because I have no other choice but to accept it"

"Why do you think you have no choice?"

"Because I don't... it happened. I just have to deal with it but, I don't know how. Every one keeps telling me to fight the memories and they'll just go away but it never works. It just stays there"

Hetty stared at him, wishing that she could read his thoughts.

"Why don't you try and speak out your emotions, Mr. Deeks? It could be really helpful"

Deeks stayed quiet, trying to think of an answer as he shook his head...

"It doesn't really work for me"

Hetty nodded, arranging her posture as she placed both her hand onto her desk...

"Mr. Deeks, everything seems harder and painful when you're dealing with stuff on your own. It would feel better when you know that there's someone there for you to lean on and to catch you when you fall. And believe me when I say that your team has always been that for you. Your return had brought us back together again and we all understand that it has not been easy for you to accept what happened. We also don't want you to forget because it really did happen. But, if you're just going to keep living in that days, in those moment... you're not going to be able to move on with your life"

Deeks looked up and stared at his boss. She was right... he kept pushing people away because in his mind, he thought that it was for the best when in real life, he just needed someone to be there for him.

"Is this your way of telling me that I made a mistake?"

"I don't think you made a mistake, Mr. Deeks. I think you might have misjudge the people around you that were trying to help"

Deeks scoffed and stood p from his chair. Out of the blue, he threw his hands in front of her, implying for a handshake. Smiling, Hetty shook his hands and watched him as he walked away.

"Does this mean you would rethink your decision, Mr. Deeks?" she asked before he was out of sight.

Deeks stooped and turned his head around. Smiling, he replied...

"Maybe"

Hetty nodded and once he was alone, smiling to herself, she whispered...

"Good to know, Marty"

Once he got to his car, Deeks just sat there in silence. Hetty's words kept going around in his head, thinking that she was right. He had made too much mistakes in his life, and letting Kensi go was certainly the worst. So, starting his car, Deeks headed to the place where he was sure he wanted to be.

Knocking on the door, Deeks could hear the faded sound of the TV running and the slight noises from the street. He was absolutely sure of what he wanted to say but, at the moment, the only thought that he had on his mind was the thought of rejection.

Opening the door, Kensi was shocked to see Deeks standing there before her...

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"I just want to talk... please" he replied.

Kensi stared at him before moving out of the path so he could get inside. As he took the first step inside, the first word that came to mind was 'Wow'. The living room was free from all the messiness that Kensi used to leave lying around. It has been too long since he had been in her apartment and he could see the massive change.

"I see you have upgraded your cleaning ability" Deeks commented, letting out a slight chuckled. Glancing at Kensi, he saw that she let out a quick smile. She hoped that he wouldn't see it but he did.

They stood there in silence for a few seconds before Deeks managed to say...

"Kens, I know that I've been pushing you away. And believe me, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do"

"Deeks, I-"

"I need to get this out, okay?" Deeks cuts in.

Kensi stares at her partner, realizing that the smile had vanished from his face and he was actually being serious. She had her arms crossed over to her chest and she drew them closer.

"I haven't been able to process all of this. The torture, the... kiss. I didn't know what to make out of it because, I wasn't even sure what it meant or what I wanted it to mean. I had all these unresolved questions in my head and, I couldn't bring myself to deal with anything. I didn't have my mind set out straight after what happened and since I wasn't totally focused, I didn't want to put your life in danger. That's why I told Hetty to split us up, okay? I didn't want anything to happened to you because I'm not paying attention"

Kensi remained quiet, fighting back the tears. Her accusation from before, the one when she told him he never said what he meant, it was slowly vanishing from her thoughts as she saw him literally pouring his heart out.

"We've been at this for a long time. And, I finally understand what our time together really meant to me. Seeing you everyday, it wasn't easy keeping my feelings intact but, I was sure that you deserved better than me"

I don't-"

"I love you, Kensi. I know it has taken a long road for me to say this but, I can finally admit it and I'm sure of what I'm saying because I know it's true. I'm in love with you, Kensi Marie Blye"

Kensi let out a slight gasp, completely and utterly shocked of what she just heard. She kept staring into his mismatched eyes as he also stared at her reaction. He didn't have to say anything else to know that she was expecting any of this. He tried to move closer to her, as slowly as he could.

"Kens..." he whispered.

Kensi couldn't bring herself to look away but, didn't know what else to do as she felt the warm presence around her. At that moment, Deeks was almost face to face with her. She didn't know but a tear was making it's way down to her cheeks and he took the liberty to wipe in away with his thumb, gently caressing her skin. She closed her eyes tightly by the feel of his touch. Deeks' hand slowly brushed by her forearm, only their breaths heard. Kensi looked down to his hands and then back to his eyes. Shaking her head slightly, she just grabbed a hold of his jacket and pulled him closer, crashing her lips to his. Deeks was surprised by her actions but gave in shortly after. His hands landed onto her waist, gently drawing small circles onto the lower part of her back with his fingers.

"I love you too" she whispered in between breaths.

He didn't pull back but Kensi could feel him smile against her lips, slowly bringing his hands up to the nape of her neck, deepening the kiss. Her hands found themselves ruffling his golden locks before she took off his jacket and threw it on the floor.


End file.
